So, are men dispensable?

I allow myself the liberties to eavesdrop onto conversations taking place in a matatu arguing that whatever is shared loudly in a matatu must be meant for public consumption.  As a researcher in societal affairs, the matatu provides a rich ground for ideas into the intricacies of the Kenyan society. This article has consequently been inspired by a conversation that I eavesdropped last night in a matatu.

One of the two ladies seemed inebriated but was coherent. From their talk, I could tell that she is the leader of a women’s chama. They contribute sh. 2,000.00 fortnightly. The two ladies were gossiping about another friend of theirs, who for purposes of this article we call Wanjiru. The ladies were incensed by the fact that Wanjiru has started falling behind in making her chama payments since she got married.

The natter then focused on Wanjiru’s husband, who according to my lively colleague commuters was making a tidy some of money from his businesses. At some point the ladies wondered why a woman would one need a man in her life if the man wouldn’t improve her financial status. One of the ladies, the sober one answered that one needed a man for “security”. The buddy responded: “Security my foot, if all what I needed from a man is security, shouldn’t I have hired G4S?” (or w.t.t.e. – words to that effect.) That’s the statement that got me wondering whether our society will soon no longer need fathers. Are men dispensable?

There are a number of reasons why many Kenyan women are considering single parenthood. One of them is because women who are economically empowered do not find capable partners to match their status. Other women are forced into single parenthood when spouses abdicate their responsibilities. Quite worryingly, an increasing number of women are getting into single parenthood because the spouses turned violent on them.

It is not a popular debate among the political class but a look at demographics has been shown, at least in the case of Singapore, to place a country in the path of economic dominance. The founding Prime Minister of the Singaporean nation, Lee Kuan Yew observed that educated Singaporean women were getting fewer children than the less educated ones. This meant that the educated women were not propagating their genetic characteristics that would benefit the economy. He instituted tax breaks for graduate parents who would consider getting a third child. He also instituted government-sponsored match-making clubs to encourage graduate men to marry graduate women. As evidence of the success of that demographic experiment, 63% of Singaporean graduate men married fellow graduates in 1997 compared to 38% in 1982.

As for the Kenyan society, time has come for us to pay attention to the socialization of the boy child. It is important to find out why the Kenyan male is generally timid, irresponsible and violent. Expecting boys to turnout to be dependable when their role models are reckless might be quite unrealistic. We should be very worried when these men propagate their seed recklessly when those with more desirable characteristics disengage from reproductive activities.

 

 

 

 

This man Yahya Jammeh

One Week in African politics is very long. A lot can happen with consequences bordering on the extreme. A week ago, the Gambia, that tiny West African State went to the polls. I did not consider it a surprise that the leader of the opposition coalition, Adama Barrow won the elections. The unusual thing was the fact that the sitting President Yahya Jammeh conceded defeat and congratulated Barrow. Well, that was last week. As I write, Jammeh has changed his mind and is contesting the elections. The military has been deployed to the streets of the main cities and the Gambia is facing an uncertain future. For me, President Jammeh is just being true to his character.

At 29, Jammeh toppled Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara in a bloody coup in November 1994. Jawara had in turn ruled The Gambia since 1970. Jammeh portrays himself as a devout Muslim and is known for his signature flowing white robes and prayer beads. Since June 2015, Jammeh’s State House instructed that he should be referred to by his official title: His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh Babili Mansa. Jammeh’s buffoonery draws strong parallels with that of the despot Idi Amin Dada of Uganda in the 1970’s.

Since he took over power, Jammeh suppressed civil liberties in the Gambia and many of his critics have been killed or disappeared mysteriously. Indeed in the just concluded elections, the leader of the main opposition party, United Democratic Party (UDP), Ousainou Darboe, was in prison since July 2016 after taking part in an unauthorized demonstration. Just to illustrate Jammeh’s ruthlessness, diplomatic tension has been building up between Ghana and the Gambia following the killing of 44 Ghanaians off the coast of Gambia in 2005. President Jammeh accused them of spying against his government.

The Gambia is well known for its voting system where voters use pebbles instead of the traditional ballot papers owing to the high illiteracy rates in the country (Since the 1960’s!!). In 2007, President Jammeh declared, to the consternation of the WHO, that he had discovered the cure for HIV/AIDS and ordered patients to ignore the Anti-retroviral treatment.

Jammeh has ruled the Gambia with an iron fist with the support of the military. The President is said to have been hesitant to concede electoral defeat last week, but did so on learning that the military did not support him any longer. The tide appears to have turned when the winning opposition candidate declared that he will demand Jammeh’s prosecution over human rights violation. The military brass has read the mood and discovered that they aren’t safe from prosecution. They have thrown their support to Jammeh. The Electoral Commission may have bungled the election by revising the electoral results giving Barrow a narrower victory margin than had initially been declared. Jammeh has declared that the electoral process was unfair and is now asking for fresh elections. You and I know the winner of the second round of elections…if it happens.